Thousands braved scorching temperatures on Saturday to celebrate the Budapest Pride parade, the first since the election defeat of Viktor Orban, who tried to ban the event last year.
“I think the situation is getting better and better, mainly because of the change in government,” Petra Toth, 18, who was attending her first Pride with her girlfriend, told AFP.
In April, pro-EU conservative Prime Minister Peter Magyar and his Tisza party won a landslide victory, ending Orbán’s 16 years in power.
Orbán’s government was widely considered to have one of the EU’s most restrictive LGBTQ+ policies.
Record turnout at Budapest Pride March in 2025
Last year, a record-breaking crowd took to the streets of Budapest, with an estimated 200,000 participants openly defying a sweeping government ban.
Orbán’s government passed laws and a constitutional amendment banning the march, arguing that Pride events violate children’s rights to moral and spiritual development.
The overwhelming turnout was seen as a strong rebuke of Orbán’s years of anti-LGBTQ+ actions.
Orbán introduced laws banning adoption by same-sex couples, prohibiting gender change on official documents, and restricting school materials seen as promoting homosexuality or gender transition.
What is Hungary’s new Prime Minister Magyar’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights?
So far, Magyar has not announced any specific measures to reverse Orbán-era legislation that restricts the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. When asked by the Hungarian media, he asked for patience.
Since his election victory, Magyar has insisted that his government should not dictate how Hungarians should live.
Asked whether his government would allow gay marriage or adoption earlier this month, Magyar said: “We have made it clear that, in our view, everyone is free to love whomever they want and live with whomever they want, as long as they do not violate the law.”
“If we are asked to discuss such socially and politically sensitive issues… we are ready to do so,” Magyar said.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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